Say The First Thing That Springs to Mind.

My point is that the job of the Pope is to offer guidance on ethical matters such as abortion. You may say there is no need for a Pope but whilst one exists, that is what he does.

If we accept that people are not born knowing right from wrong then I suppose religion creates a framework for that. People will still do wrong but at least they know it is wrong. And it may prevent people from doing wrong on occasion, even of they want to or if it is for some great advantage for them to do so.

I mean if you take the ten commnadmants:

I am the Lord, your God.
Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shall not kill
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Thou shall not steal
Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).

Okay the first 4 are pretty much superfluous but the rest seem entirely reasonable as the basis for a system of morality and law and order.

is that a mortal sin or just a venial one?

Yes. Does this include those who have come in illegally with criminal intent?

A good portion of the 3 million are highly skilled. Surgeons, nurses, doctors, teachers, lecturers, researchers, professors etc.

I know you're a stickler for accuracy, so I thought I'd better remind you.😉

Regarding low wages - the country should vote for a party that will increase the minimum wage to a true living wage. This would also drive a much needed growth in productivity.

How much of a portion? 5 percent? 10 percent? Do you even know?

Problem was that once manufacturing stopped needing millions of unskilled people we had a big unemployment problem. And then they let millions more unskilled workers into the country. No-one has a problem with skilled people coming in, if they are needed to cover a shortfall in skills.

Raising the minimum wage won't help now as all the jobs are taken (and there's about 400,000 unemployed EU nationals here already). What's needed is to remove their automatic right to work here or to claim benefits. Then supply and demand will mean employers have to offer better wages to the indigenous personnel in order to recruit, without the dead hand of government needing to interfere.

Not sure what you mean buy that. Not everyone can be a surgeon or a university professor. We're always going to need order pickers, labourers etc - more so with the move to internet shopping and delivery. I'm sure the idea of doing a job like that must terrify comfy middle class types but it's not so bad and if you can't do anything else it's that or the dole.

They're afraid of hard work. Spot of National Service would a) do them good b) solve the unemployment problem.

And again at 70. The new Dad's Army..

Indeed. Get them picking fruit. Plenty of fresh air and exercise.

I'd be up for it too. Great fun. Like being back at school but without the boring lessons. 2 hours close combat training in the river! If there aren't at least two men with broken arms by the end you get back in and do it again.!

Youngsters today don't know what they're missing.


Are you sure they'd make you Colonel? If you wear an an eye patch when you go down to the recruiting station that might give you a chance. Or failing that develop some sort of weird facial tic. That seems to be almost essential.

PLEASE NO!!!!!!!!!!!

I was at the funeral yesterday and met his family. Believe it or not, he had friends and family who loved him, who will miss him and I wasn't the only one who shed a tear for the old sod either.

Sad to hear that he's shuffled off this mortal coil. Condoleces to his Mrs.

No doubt he'll now be sainted and everyone will forget what an incorrigible old bastard he was and that his circuits were just basic application notes from transistor suppliers.

I may get flack for this but i miss him even though i never met him. Yes he was grumpy, liked an argument, took no prisoners and did not suffer fools gladly but i never had any major problems with him. He has had a very big lasting influence on me when it comes to sound reproduction. I would happily take his advice over anybody else's every day of the week. 

Never mind what his circuits consist of (and i know them better than most) they sound bloody good to me and many others. Simplicity rules with these designs and every piece of diy advice he has given me has turned out to be good (for me and my ears). The man will be respected and remembered as a designer for a long time.